Recent purchase of Soplata TBM-3N

[marine air]

Not very knowledgeable about the -3N. So since it was modified after WW II then it would have two or more paint schemes? ONe as a WW II TMB-3E before it's postwar conversion to a night attack aircraft , and then maybe another use later in it's career. Will be neat to hear about it's history and what was involved in it's night attack conversion. Did any TBM-3N's see combat in Korea or elsewhere?

[MarkS]

When Grandfather bought the TBM from the Navy, it was sitting at the Farmington Airport in Rising Sun, Maryland. Before that it had spent time on outdoor display at the Bainbridge Naval Training Center, also in Maryland. We believe it was parked next to a Tigercat while at Bainbridge and may have been yellow.

I have the yellow copy of the Bill of Sale from the Navy. I'll post that on Facebook since I can't get a pdf to upload here.

[marine air]

The Navy had some weird paint jobs after the war. Some of the Utility squadrons had the original Sea Blue paint on the fuselage and yellow on the wings with Red stripes on the wings and horizontals. I've seen a few all yellow Grumman types but don't remember what they were used for. Some of it had to do with drone controllers, drones, fire controllers , target towing, etc. Suggest finding out what Squadrons were based at Bainbridge, Maryland before 1950. Could it have been used in conjunction with Aberdeen Proving Ground or some other mission in the area. It may not have been based a Bainbridge but was flown in from elsewhere.
Good luck!

[marine air]

The Navy had some Martin JM-1s and -2's that were painted all yellow for target towing and gunnery practice. If it turns out the aircraft had been painted al yellow by the Navy for some reason, maybe it had a similar purpose.

[camshaw]

do you happen to know if the p47 fuselage is still around? i heard it was sold, then i heard it was still there?

[MarkS]

do you happen to know if the p47 fuselage is still around? i heard it was sold, then i heard it was still there?

Last time I was there (Aug 30) the P-47 fuselage was still there. I believe they had interested parties but I don't know if it's still there now.

[quemerford]

The family post on the other thread: best to ask there.

[MarkS]

It's been a long time since I've posted here. The project is coming along well but it's slow. The stabilizers (x3), bomb bay doors and some smaller pieces are rebuilt and ready for paint. Control surfaces are ready for fabric and the left wing is nearly completed structurally. We are deeeeep into the center section. It has a lot of rot. The entire spar will be replaced, most of the skins are new and multiple ribs were cracked or corroded beyond SRM repairs. This is a much larger project than we envisioned when we bought it but we aren't looking back. Occasional updates with pictures are on Facebook if you want to follow there. Search: TBM-3N 91637 N10164

[Matt Gunsch]

I went to the facebook page, but you have to join to see the contents. you ought to make it visible to all.

[marine air]

The airplane is going to look and fly amazing. It's nice that it is a multi-seat airplane that you will be able to share with family , friends and company employees. Hate that ya'll are finding so many areas that have to be reworked and maybe this is representative of most 80 year old aircraft restorations. It will be a showcase for your company and family.

[quemerford]

Occasional updates with pictures are on Facebook if you want to follow there. Search: TBM-3N 91637 N10164

Duly subscribed! I'd keep it this way: in my experience if you open it as a full 'public' group you'll get a lot of inane comments and more chaff than wheat. So I doubt I'll post anything, but I'll enjoying watching things come together!

[Zac Yates]

I went to the facebook page, but you have to join to see the contents. you ought to make it visible to all.

Unfortunately Facebook has been changing the way Groups are managed which is meant to improve...something (less spam?), at the expense of making it impossible for non-members (so many aviation friends don't use Facebook) to see what the Group posts - I'm admin/co-admin on a couple and it's rather frustrating. It seems the pressure is on for all groups to go Private so there will sadly be more of this.

For my part I've had permission from admins of other groups to share pics on forums for non-FB users (and take the pressure off those folks to post the same thing in multiple places) - perhaps Mark may be amenable to this?

[Cvairwerks]

Would be nice if FB would let a page/group be view only for those not logged in. Til I'm retired, having an active FB account is a no-go for me.